Deforestation is one of the most serious environmental issues in Sri Lanka. In the 1920s, the island
had a 49 percent forest cover but by 2005 this had fallen by approximately 20 percent....this is
catastrophic.....Do u know that Between 1990 and 2000, Sri Lanka lost an average of 26,800 ha of
forests per year. This is a grave problem and the Government declared this as a national heritage
site as well.....This amounts to 1.14 percent of average annual deforestation rate. Between 2000 and
2005 rate accelerated to 1.43 percent per annum. Illegal cutting down of trees for purposes is the
main cause of this........However with a long history of policy and laws towards environmental
protection, deforestation rates of primary cover have actually decreased 35percent since the end of
the 1990s thanks to a strong history of conservation measures. The problem of deforestation in Sri
Lanka is not as significant in the southern mountainous regions as it is in northern Sri Lanka,
largely due to the nature of environmental protection. But steps should be fast taken to combat this
issue...

IT could deffinetly be used to aware people to safeguard this world heritage...

The government should take deforestation seriously, because Sri Lanka has a high bio diversity. We
have nearly the same amount of animals as India even though Sri Lanka is usch a small country.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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CoLoMbO 07
sRi lAnKa

It takes only seconds to cut a tree down but it takes years for a tree to grow......the value of
forests are currently felt more than at any other time before along with today's burning problems
such as air pollution,green house effect etc.

Sri Lanka which is a bio diversity hot spot cannot be left to get ruined. Therefore the authorities
should be more active to punish the culprits...... afforestation projects must be initiated with
government and private sector assistance and people should be taught to love nature if we are to get
over this disaster.

I whole heartedly agree coz sri lanka being a country with a high bio diversity and also sri Lanka
being a haven for many migrant birds and other species...and hence Sri Lanka should definetly be
protected...

Coz after all srilanka is an extremely green country where the soil is extremely fertile and is an
extremely favourable for species to live...hence keen attention should be paid to forest
reserves..

Deforestation is considered as a major environmental issue in Sri Lanka. Forest
cover has decreased from 44% in 1956 to just over 22% at present while in the biodiversity rich wet
lowlands it is only 3% of the land area. The annual rate of deforestation is estimated to be about
3%.

Over the past 15 years, Sri Lanka has had one of the highest deforestation rates of primary forests
in the world. In that period the country lost more than 35 percent of its old-growth forest cover.
Since 1990s, deforestation rates have increased by more than 25 percent.